


nothing's gonna stop us now

by queenofcats



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ?? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Mannequin AU, Pre-Relationship, Short One Shot, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 02:24:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12333573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofcats/pseuds/queenofcats
Summary: lance works at a clothes storeall he knows is that he has a large golden handprint on his thigh





	nothing's gonna stop us now

**Author's Note:**

> yes this is based on a terrible 80s film

"But, mama! It's so big, is my soulmate a giant?" 

 

She smiles, eyes crinkling round the corners. "No, baby... It's just because you're small that it seems so large. I remember when I was your age, my mark covered all of my shoulder. I thought that whoever my soulmate was would have huge hands, but it turns out they're average size." 

Lance's dad chuckles at that. "I thought your mother was going to be a dwarf from the mark on my arm. It was tiny. But she just has very small hands." he teases in return.

"Does my soulmate have a mark on her, then?" Lance asks excitedly. 

"Of course." his mother smiles. 

"Is my handprint tiny, or is it big?" 

"It's the exact same size as your hand will be when you first touch her." Lance's mother explains. "That's how you know it's yours."

Lance's eyes go wide and he flops backwards onto his mother's lap. "Mama, I can't wait to meet her. I bet she's pretty."

\--

A lot had changed since he was six.

For a start, he wasn't sure he wanted to find his soulmate. It seemed strange to him that the universe had chosen a person specifically for him, one that would actually, genuinely love him. 

Also, he wasn't too sure that his soulmate was a girl after all. 

He's seventeen now, and none of the girls he knows have hands that are quite so big. Not even his own hands are that big, and he's a boy. 

Surely it's not some sort of animal paw? Bestiality isn't condoned by the universe, as far as he knows, anyway. 

Lance's soulmate mark is a large yellow handprint on his upper thigh. He likes that it's in quite an intimate place, because that means that he and his soulmate will definitely have some chemistry before they find out they're soulmates, and also... he likes the idea of them having big hands. 

He's quite comfortable with his soulmate being a guy or a girl. Any gender, really. Lance doesn't mind. As long as someone loves him for who he is and not just because their handprint is on his body, they could be anyone (but not Keith, he's too frustrating and his hands are too small). 

He's had his eye on a few people, since he was young, but he's had no luck with any of them.

Allura is one of them. She's a few years older than he is, and he'd had a huge crush on her for years. She's just so pretty, and her hair has always reminded him of candy-floss. But she's one of those people who doesn't have a soulmate mark. Some people just don't, either because their soulmate isn't alive at the same time as them, or because they aren't interested in romantic relationships. That's another thing that bugs Lance about the soulmate system - soulmates shouldn't have to be romantic. After all, he and Pidge are best friends, and he would class them as platonic soulmates, but Pidge doesn't have a mark either.  She isn't romantically interested in anyone, of course, but that's beside the point. 

Another thing he dislikes is that he's essentially being forced into a relationship with someone one day. He knows not a lot of people do, but what if he falls in love with someone who isn't his soulmate, and is too happy with them to want to leave?

Or what if he finds his soulmate, but finds he isn't exactly happy with them? Can he tell the universe it's wrong, or does he just have to suck it up?

Lance has a long list of issues that he'd like to take up with the universe about its soulmate system. 

\--

It's the first day of freedom. He's finally been able to leave school. 

Lance isn't academic in the slightest, he's always been a doer not a thinker. So, he gets a job, and does some volunteering as well. It's nice, and allows him to meet plenty of people. 

The shop he works in is a clothes store, and he likes how varied the customers are. It's not just women or men who come in, it's not just white people or black, thin or fat. It's everyone. 

He doesn't particularly want to admit it, but any time he has to deal with a male customer, he always looks at the size of their hands. No one has matched the large print on his thigh, though.

 

"Lance, can you do me a favour?" Shiro asks him, one day during the heat of summer.

"Depends on what it is." he says, grinning. He's always liked Shiro, although he's never been able to figure out whether it's hero worship or something more. 

Shiro rolls his eyes but smiles anyway. "I want a new display up in the middle of the store. We've got some new mannequins that are custom made, and head office has said we have to show off the diversity of the clothes we sell."

Lance nods, before frowning. "I'm not sure I can lift the mannequins myself."

"Don't worry. I'll help. But after that, I have to go out back to help with the delivery." 

 

There are six mannequins in the display, two feminine bodies and four masculine ones. He finds it sort of annoying that there's such a difference in size between him and most of the mannequins, because it means he's going to have to disassemble them before he puts clothes on them. 

The first feminine body is gorgeous, he thinks. It's tall and curvy, exactly what he wants in a girl. They've put a great amount of detail into the shape of her butt as well, he chuckles to himself. So he figures that he'll dress her like Allura, his perfect girl crush. He dresses it with a pink halterneck crop top, flamingo prints on the chest, white shorts and sneakers, and pink circle sunglasses. He even adds a rose gold heart necklace. 

The second is short and more childlike. It reminds him a great deal of Pidge, because while the hormones she's on have given her slight breasts, they haven't done much so far to give her a more womanly shape. Inspired by her, he picks out a baggy green cardigan, a burgundy knee length cord skirt and matching clunky mary jane shoes. The accessories he chooses are definitely Pidge, round glasses and a burgundy watch. 

The masculine bodies are more difficult to style. There's far more variation between them, and it's tricky to think of people that they're like.

The first body is tall and broad, heavily muscled. As he looks closer, Lance thinks Shiro must have had it made based on his body, because it's almost identical. Even the thickness of the biceps are alike. He figures he should pick out something grey or black for him, because those colours are all he ever sees Shiro in. So he chooses a dark grey tank top and distressed, lighter grey jeans. He picks out a pair of black sneakers and a light grey baseball cap. It looks pretty good, and actually not dissimilar to what Shiro would wear usually. 

The second is smaller and slighter than Shiro's mannequin, but not too skinny at all. He chooses a baggy top to put on it, it's black and white striped with black sleeves. Burgundy red jeans and a burgundy beanie look good with those, he thinks, and some black boots. He cringes when he realises that Keith wears very similar outfits.

Finally, there are just two mannequins left. One is a similar height to the Shiro figure, and the other is the same as the one he'd just dressed. The first one is fat, and Lance actually really appreciates that. He'd noticed it when he'd helped Shiro carry it through the doors, although it's a shame about the scrape on the side from the doorway. 

He likes larger guys anyway, and this one has big hands. It's stupid but he does take notice of how they're a very similar size to the soulmate mark on his thigh. He also likes the attention to detail in the chest area. The pecs are muscly but also soft looking. It's a shame the body is made out of plastic because he'd actually be quite a hunk if he were real. 

That's what he decides to call him, Hunk. 

He pays special attention to dressing Hunk, picking out a white t-shirt with a sun pattern on it, blue baggy jeans and white sneakers. The t-shirt is a little on the small side, but Lance likes it a lot. It shows off the curves of his plastic body, which are very cute. 

After that, he dresses the last mannequin quickly. It's a skinny masculine body, so he doesn't really care too much about what he puts on it. He simply throws on a light blue tank top, short shorts, and some white sneakers. 

 

Lance's fascination with 'Hunk' doesn't stop after he finishes dressing the mannequins. Each time he walks past the group of mannequins arranged in the centre of the shop, he stops and takes a good look at the body he so lovingly dressed. He knows it's weird, but it's not as though he's going to do anything strange to it. 

"Damn..." he mutters to himself. If only he could find a real man like that. The body type is perfect, and even the mannequin's face is kinda cute. He's got a button nose and a nice smile. Lance wonders whether it's really all that weird to have a very slight crush on a plastic man. 

\--

It's been a few weeks now since the mannequins took their place in the shop. 

Lance has developed more than a slight fixation with 'Hunk', and it's got to the point where he's imagined what he'd look like in real life. 

Even when he goes home and jerks off, 'Hunk' is on his mind. 

He's tall, tanned, handsome... And he's got a great smile, just like the mannequin really has. 

Lance likes dark haired guys, so he's obviously got dark hair too. It's long and curly, but 'Hunk' likes to pull it up in a bun.

And of course, his body is just as fat as the mannequin, all soft and warm and gorgeous. 

 

"Hey, Lance? Can I ask you another favour?" Shiro's eyes are wide, and his lips are pouty. This must be a big favour. 

"Depends what it is... And do I get paid for it?" Lance asks.

He beams. "Yeah, you get paid overtime. I can even write up that you've done a couple more hours than you'll need to do, if that sweetens the deal."

Lance frowns. "What is it?"

"I need you to work overnight. We've got some people doing a spot check tomorrow, and I need someone to redress all of the mannequins. And, well, you have the best eye for that kind of thing." he admits, with a sort of smile. 

 

It's 9pm, and Lance is struggling. He hadn't realised just how many mannequins there'd be in the store, especially since there are two large floors. 

He's also certain he can hear something downstairs, although he can't be bothered to investigate. Ghost, thief, murderer, Keith trying to blackmail him about his crush on a plastic man (even though Keith likes Mothman), he doesn't care... He just wants to finish his job and go home.

Once he's finished with the top floor, he heads down the escalator, and tries to figure out the best course of action. Should he start in the corners or in the centre?

As he inspects the centre, he realises that one of the mannequins is missing. 

"Shit!" he groans. "Shit, shit, shit. Shiro is gonna kill me if he finds out that one of the mannequins has been stolen."

Lance looks around worriedly, just in case the thief is still there. 

Behind the rack of clothes in the corner of his vision, he sees movement. That must be the noise he heard earlier.

Lance's heart starts to race, and he wonders if he's about to be murdered by the person who'd just stolen a mannequin. 

"Whoever you are, come out where I can see you!"

There's silence and no movement for a good moment or so, and Lance almost begins to relax.

But then a shirt drops to the floor, and he freaks. 

"Show yourself! I'll come beat you up if you don't!" he yells. Real smart, he thinks. For a start, whoever's there might have a knife or a gun, and second of all, even if it is a fist fight, he's barely capable of fighting Pidge, let alone the ten foot tall muscleman he's imagining. 

"Please don't beat me up." comes a quiet voice from behind the rack. 

Lance's heart skips a beat. He hadn't expected a reply. "Then show yourself..." he says, a little softer.

From behind the rack emerges a beautiful man. 

He's tall, dark skinned and very handsome, perhaps exactly the sort of person that Lance dreams of. Black curls contrasting with the deep copper of his skin, almond shaped, sparkling brown eyes, and a smile that, even while nervous gives him dimples. He is truly beautiful. And his hands are rather large. 

"Hi? I, uh... I didn't mean to make you so scared, I was just--" he begins, but Lance cuts him off.

"You stole one of the mannequins! Why? What do you need them for?" he demands, trying to figure out whether he's afraid or aroused.

The man raises his hands. "Nothing, nothing! I didn't take anything." 

Lance frowns as he looks him up and down. It's not as though he couldn't do it, the man is broad and muscular (and wonderfully fat).  "Why should I trust you?" 

"Uh, because I'm Hunk? And you told me you dream about me? I thought maybe we could chat?" the man says, sounding uncertain. 

"What the hell? How have you been listening in on my conversations?" Lance cries. He doesn't believe for a second that the man in front of him is in fact his favourite mannequin, of course not. That would be crazy. But it makes him mad to think that someone would listen in on private conversations between him and a chunk of plastic. 

"I haven't been listening in! You were talking to me! I'm Hunk, I swear. I even have the cut where Shiro knocked me on the door frame." the man says, lifting up his t-shirt to reveal a horizontal scrape on the side of his belly. It does matches the one Lance remembers on Hunk, as the door frame from the storeroom is made of a thin sheet of metal, and the mannequin had been just a little too wide to fit through without a scrape or two. 

He narrows his eyes again. "Fine, say I believe you... What's the deal with this then? How are you alive now?" he asks. 

"I don't know. But I think it has something to do with this." 

'Hunk' lifts up his shirt again, this time revealing the front of his stomach. A small blue handprint rests in the centre of it, and Lance immediately clutches his hand. 

"Is it you? Are you my--" 

Lance motions for him to stop talking. He walks over and presses his hand in the space on Hunk's belly. He's soft and warm and wonderful. 

His hand fits perfectly.  


End file.
